[GeoStL] Private Property Caches
- From: Mike Tollefson <mbtoll@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: geocaching@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2007 10:54:18 -0800 (PST)
-
Hiding caches on private property can cause problems to either the hider or
seeker. Glad these haven't popped up in St. Louis like they have in some other
areas. Here's an article from Portsmouth about a newbie cacher hiding an
Altoid tin on private property. It shows why its good to find at least 100
caches before hiding your first and why caches in private areas - even store
parking lots are not okay without permission. You also may have heard the
Cartoon Network promo gone bad shutting down parts of Boston about a week ago.
Cache placement is important to avoid these type of incidents.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Geocacher expresses regret over leaving box behind Shaw's
document.title =
unescape("Geocacher%20expresses%20regret%20over%20leaving%20box%20behind%20Shaw%27s")
+ " - Fosters";
By MICHAEL GOOT
Portsmouth Bureau Chief
mgoot@xxxxxxxxxxx
PORTSMOUTH ? Charles Lord never imagined his duct taping a metallic box the
size of an Altoids tin to an electrical panel behind the Shaw's supermarket on
Lafayette Road would cause such a fuss.
The 48-year-old printing press operator from Rochester said he was simply
taking part in a new computer-based hike-and-seek game that uses global
position systems to locate prizes.
Now he has nothing but regrets for the to-do he unintentionally caused with
emergency responders. It won't stop him from continuing to play the game,
though.
"I think there was a little overreaction," he said.
Relatively new to the game, Lord said he wished other members of the gaming
community ? called geocachers ? had tipped him off that a Shaw's makes for a
poor location choice. Geocaching rules prohibit people from placing caches on
private property without permission.
"I would have taken it down right away. But unfortunately that didn't happen
and this whole thing took place. I just heard my name on Channel 9. This is my
15-minutes-of-fame that I did not want," he said.
Nevertheless, the incident has not soured him on the hobby, although he plans
to lay low until the spring.
"Besides, it's too cold," he said.
If anything, he hopes the publicity may generate more interest in geocaching.
"It's fun. It's not like the GPS takes you right to this cache. You have to
have common sense and smarts to figure out where it is ? what it's there for. I
've discovered that I really don't like urban caching. I'd rather do it in the
woods. That's where it's really fun," he said.
He said he has taken a considerable amount of hits from the online community,
which he understands.
"There is no excuse for ignorance of the rules. We all make mistakes. You show
me a person who hasn't made a mistake and I'll show you a liar," he said.
All caches must be submitted to the geocaching website at www.geocaching.com.
Also, caches should never be placed on or near active railroad tracks, military
installations, U.S. National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Services
property, highway bridges, dams, government buildings, elementary and secondary
schools and airports, according to the website.
Lord said he has also received supportive emails. People on the message boards
at geocaching.com expressed concern whether law enforcement overreacted. Others
did not want these incidents to spoil this hobby.
Lord learned police had confiscated his cache through the online community. He
contacted police and asked to have his cache returned to him. Lt. Rodney
McQuate emailed him back on Monday, telling him to come to the station or call
him. Shortly after this point, Lord said the story "exploded" in the media.
He said he talked with police on Tuesday. He did not want to get into details
but said he would likely call back on Friday or Saturday to see if there is a
way to resolve the situation.
Sgt. Russell Russo confirmed police will speak with Lord in the next few days
but it is too early to say how the situation will be resolved.
Lord has been practicing the hobby for about three months and has a GPS system
in his car. While on vacation, he began surfing the Internet and stumbled
across geocaching. He found his first cache on Nov. 10 ? the day before
Portsmouth Police found a cache near the Interstate 95 Piscataqua River Bridge,
so he did not hide that one.
---------------------------------
The fish are biting.
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